DEAR Mr Megson, I am writing to ask, as a Bolton Wanderers fan and former player that you stop whining on about your time at the Reebok Stadium and concentrate on the club you are currently managing.

I don’t know what Sheffield Wednesday supporters think about you harking back to Bolton every time you open your mouth, but on this side of the Pennines, it sounds very much like sour grapes.

This club will be forever grateful to you for righting the ship when you first arrived. It was a difficult job under difficult circumstances. But it’s now in the past.

You left us in no better shape than you found us, with an astronomical wage bill that is still being dealt with as I write.

You seem to take great delight in telling us that you have travelled the world over the past 12 months while Bolton Wanderers pay your wages.

But I’d suggest that if you keep carrying on in this way, you had better keep your gardening gloves handy because you’ll need them again quite soon.

You seem to worry a lot about our club but I’d like to assure you that we are fine. As I write, we are eighth in the Premier League and one game away from playing in the FA Cup semi finals at Wembley.

We have a manager who is respected by the fans and who reciprocates that respect at every opportunity he is given.

If we are lucky enough to qualify for Europe, and if Owen Coyle sees fit to play a weakened team, then he will credit the players for those performances and not claim some tactical masterstroke.

I am pleased you have found another job, and equally pleased you feel it is at a bigger club. I hope to see you again in the Premier League soon.

But I stress that Bolton Wanderers have moved on, and so should you.

Yours sincerely, John McGinlay I’VE been quick to point out that Martin Petrov hasn’t been setting the world alight in this column, so I’m pleased as punch to say I can finally state the opposite.

In his last two games, the Bulgarian winger has been much more like the player I saw over here in the summer.

Some of the deliveries he put in against Wigan and Fulham were absolutely fantastic – and I think it’s now up to the strikers to find out how to put them away.

When he hits a ball it stays hit, and he produces crosses quite unlike anyone else in our squad.

Petrov is great at putting the ball into ‘no man’s land’, which are an absolute dream to run on to, and a complete nightmare to defend. It’s what Owen Coyle has expected from him all along. His form isn’t a shock, because he’s a quality performer, but it’s maybe a surprise that it has taken this long to really see the best of him.

Another one who looks set for big things is Ivan Klasnic. He will score goals, simple as that, and his finish against Fulham was as good as you’ll see.

What people do question is what he does outside the penalty area. Does he do enough for the team?

I think, like Petrov, he chipped in at Craven Cottage, and with all the extra baggage off his back now, we might finally see the real Ivan Klasnic stand up and be counted.

NEWCASTLE United are heading for a safe, uneventful mid-table finish, and I think Alan Pardew deserves a bit of credit for that.

They were up and down when they were hit for five at the Reebok under Chris Hughton in October, and everyone was saying they were heading for relegation when they lost Andy Carroll without replacing him in January.

Now, they are pretty much assured of their place in the Premier League next season, and they have got some great results considering what has happened.

Losing a leader like Carroll could have been disastrous. He’s not a captain like Kevin Nolan but when the chips were down, you always knew your centre forward could bail you out.

Not getting in a replacement didn’t go down well with the locals up there, and they really live and breathe football. But I think Pardew has got them organised and I expect them to be within two or three places of where they are now at the end of the season.

Unfortunately at St James’s Park, you only seem a few steps away from disaster with Mike Ashley in charge.

He seemed to just about have them on side after the club got promotion, but he seems to have a habit of turning things round so they are about him and not the team – making unnecessary headlines – and the Newcastle supporters don’t deserve that.

MARCOS Alonso has survived being chucked in at the deep end, and I fully expect him to blossom now.

Owen has used him sparingly since signing him in the summer, just dipping his toe in here or there.

Injuries to Zat Knight and Sam Ricketts have forced his hand though, and this is where Alonso has to prove himself.

There’s nothing better than knowing you have got a good run in the side. It takes the pressure off a little bit and gives you a bit of room to breathe.

As a young player Alonso had to adjust a lot to the pace and lifestyle in England. He’s a big lad, so he can take all that.

He recovered from a bit of a shaky start against Fulham and grew in confidence in the second half, so I’d expect that to continue with a run in the side.

SOME people complain that this year’s FA Cup semi finals are being played at Wembley but I see it more as an opportunity than a hindrance.

Aside from our two England lads, Kevin Davies and Gary Cahill, we haven’t had a chance to see the new stadium.

The traditionalists moan that Villa Park or Old Trafford are much better suited for semis, and that Wembley should be kept for the grand occasion.

But try telling that to a club who have been waiting years for a chance to play at the stadium. Grab your chance while you can, I say.